2. Saint Mary’s College Gaels 27-4, 16-2
Saint Mary’s earned its share of the WCC regular-season title with its 70-59 victory over Gonzaga in the conference final, marking its seventh title under coach Randy Bennett. No. 21 SMC has won eight in a row overall and owns a top-50 offense and a top-20 defense. The Gaels are an excellent 3-point shooting team, knocking down 9.0 threes at a 41.5% clip during conference play, and are the WCC’s top free-throw shooting club. They also protect the ball well, are an outstanding offensive rebounding team, and love to control the tempo.
While Saint Mary’s struggles offensively when sped up, the Gaels are elite defensively with tremendous discipline. SMC holds WCC opponent.o The Gaels are an exceptional rebounding squad overall, with a +11.1 rebound margin, and don’t foul a lot. However, they don’t force turnovers.
Paulius Murauskas is an excellent two-way forward who leads three players in double-figures with 18.6 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 2.2 assists while shooting 48.2% from the field. Sophomore point guard Joshua Dent, who leads the WCC in minutes and free-throw percentage, averages 13.3 points, 5.6 assists, and 1.6 steals. Seven-foot-1 center Andrew McKeever anchors the Gaels defense, averages 8.3 points and league-best 9.1 boards (3.7 offensive). McKeever and theGaels’s other seven-footer, Harry Wessels, combine for 13.4 points, 14.4 boards, and 1.9 blocks.
